‘Time and Place’!

We are now accepting poems on the theme of: ‘Time and Place’.

You can email your poems to thebangorliteraryjournal@hotmail.com  with the heading ‘12th BANGOR POETRY COMPETITION- Your name‘  .

You can enter up to eight poems per person.  The submission fee for poems is as follows: One poem £4/ Three poems £10 / Eight poems £20.  Please pay the submission fee by following the PayPal link above and include your PayPal transaction number in the body of the email. All submission fees go directly to The Bangor Poetry Competition prizes and The Bangor Literary Journal upkeep.

All poems must be in English and previously unpublished (they should not have been published online, in print, on social media or blogs).  They should be no longer than 40 lines (not including title or stanza breaks) and can be in any style. (Traditional right through to experimental!)

Please attach your poems in a separate Word document with no trace of your name.  All submissions are read anonymously by the editorial team.  Please title your documents as ’12th Bangor Poetry Competition’.  Use Times New Roman font, size 12, single space, unless your poem is a shape/concrete poem which requires a different layout.

In the body of your email, please attach your PayPal transaction number and contact details. Also include a 50 word third person biography and attach a photograph of yourself, which will be used for publication if you are selected.

Interpret this theme as you may-take it literally or turn it on its head. We do advise against titling your poem ‘Time and Place’ — instead go for something original. Also, if possible, avoid using the theme phrasing within your poems.

*The deadline for submissions is: 12 midnight 24th September 2025. *  Within two weeks of the deadline a shortlist of 10 poems shall be announced.  These 10 poems will then be displayed on our website in an online gallery and voted on by the public as part of Aspects Literary Festival.  (Strictly one vote per person, which will be checked carefully.)

The winners will be announced at The Bangor Literary Journal Launch event which is part of the prestigious Aspects Literary Festival: Sunday 5th October 2025, 3-4pm at Bangor Castle, County Down, NI. Free event tickets are available here: https://aspectsfestival.com/whats-on/12th-bangor-poetry-competition-and-launch-issue-23-bangor-literary-journal All shortlisted poets will be invited to attend and read their poem. All shortlisted poets who attend on the day, will be presented with a framed certificate. The 10 shortlisted poems will be published in Issue 23 of The Bangor Literary Journal. A Longlist will also be announced, but these poems will not be published.

This year’s prizes are:

First Place: £200 cash; your poem published in Issue 23 of The Bangor Literary Journal; a framed certificate; a paid 2026 feature in The Bangor Literary Journal.

Runner Up: £100 cash; your poem published in issue 23 of The Bangor Literary Journal; a framed certificate.

There will also be two poems awarded Highly Commended and Commended.

 

Guidelines:

• Please email your submissions to thebangorliteraryjournal@hotmail.com with the heading (12th BANGOR POETRY COMPETITION-Name)
• Submit a maximum of eight previously unpublished poems (we consider it published if it has appeared on: social media, on line or in print) no longer than 40 lines long (not including title or spacing or stanza breaks).
• Poems should be written in English. Exceptions to English are other language words used for effect within the poem, which has a main body of English language.
• Poems should be single spaced and in New Times Roman, size 12 unless the poem is a shape/ concrete poem and does not adhere to these conventions.
• Poems should be in a separate Word document attached to the email. There should not be any traces of your name within the document, as work is read anonymously.
• Include a brief note, author’s bio (no more than 50 words), contact details and an author photo in the body of the email, with your PayPal transaction number.
• We accept all forms of poetry: traditional to experimental, but it should be word based.
• Work cannot be changed once it has been sent to us.
• Unfortunately, we cannot accept simultaneous submissions- Please DO NOT send us poems that you have also sent (at the same time) to other competitions/ journals.
• You retain the rights to your work, however we can use your work in upcoming features etc.  Please credit us in future with first publication of the piece.
• You can enter from anywhere in the world.
• We welcome established, emerging and first time poets!
• All work must be your own original work.
• You must be 18 years or older to enter.

ENTER HERE

The 12th Annual Bangor Poetry Competition: Time and Place